You would have to ride Star Tours 2 for six hours straight to have all 54 possible experiences.

I love Star Tours, especially since the upgrade. C-3PO is a fun addition as the "pilot." We have ridden several times and have been to Hoth, Tatooine, Coruscant, and flown through an asteroid field before seeing the unfinished Death Star. There are a few scenes we have not experienced yet, but hopefully one day, we will manage to see them all ... well, hopefully, without having to ride for 6 hours straight.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

As we close in on the 15th anniversary of Disney's Animal Kingdom, I was excited to see this week's theme for the Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop hosted by Focused on the Magic ~ Flora, Fauna, Fantasy 15. I decided to create a collage of 15 photos that we have taken from the parks over our last few trips. Animal Kingdom is a park we spend more and more time in each trip, as we discover more and more of what it has to offer!

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Here is the photo I captured of Main Street the morning of thePrincess Half Marathon, February 2013

My big goal for this year was to run in the Princess Half marathon. Unfortunately due to a knee injury, I was unable to participate. It was a very difficult decision for me, but in the long run, it was the right one. But on the morning of the marathon, I went into the Magic Kingdom to see all the runners make there way down Main Street. Though I wasn't running, the excitement was in the air. I felt teary-eyed seeing all these amazing princesses (and a few princes sprinkled in there too) accomplish such a great feat. In that moment, as much motivation I had to one day be a part of a runDisney event, my inspiration was beyond words. As soon as I came home from our vacation, I got to work on a running plan that would build and strengthen my knee to participate in this amazing event. (This first paragraph was written about a week before the following paragraphs. Though this post started out as being inspired to complete a marathon, with recent events, it has become less about running and Disney, than it is about living my life and being the person I strive to be.)

I love the idea of the Limited Time Magic weeks for this year's Disney promotion. I think it is a great way to bring something unique to each visitors vacation, as well as bring to the parks some extra fun. As I tried to come up with a good idea for my post, I thought of what I love at Disney that isn't always around when I visit. That is Epcot's Food and Wine Festival. Then, I tried to find a way to fit it into my favorite Disney park, which is the Magic Kingdom. So here is my Limited Time Magic week:

Fantasy Food Fair

Ok, so the name could use a little more creativity, but how about a food festival around the Magic Kingdom based on favorite attractions and characters? Here is what I imagine you would find for booths throughout the park (I could have written a book here, but decided to stick with just two or three booths per park section!):

In Adventureland:

Swiss Family Robinson Tree House: Fruit and Vegetable dishes with a polynesian/tropical twist (even in the kitchen as you walk through the tree house, there table is covered in fruits and vegetables)

The Magic Carpets of Aladdin: Moroccan themed dishes from lamb to couscous and more

Pirates of the Caribbean: Caribbean Themed Foods, such as the jerk chicken they serve at Epcot's Food and Wine Festival (one of my favorites!)

Liberty Square:

Hall of Presidents: A selection of foods from colonial America to today, from apple pie to johnny cakes to cranberry themed dishes

Haunted Mansion: To celebrate along with the ghosts in the ballroom, this booth would have party themed cupcakes and sweet, ghostly treats to choose from

Fantasyland:

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Honey themed foods would be at the forefront here. Honey Lime Chicken sandwiches (we make these at home a lot) to tea flavored with honey to honey themed sweet treats

Mad Tea Party: Tea party finger foods would be the offerings here, along with many flavors of tea sample

Pete's Silly Sideshow: Circus foods would be the highlight here from corn dogs to caramel popcorn to roasted peanuts

Tomorrowland:

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin: Here Pizza Planet would be the theme! Maybe even an offering of Mrs. Nesbitt's tea!

Stitich's Great Escape: Foods from this booth would, of course, have a Polynesian flair, and even include Stitch juice, which is served at the Best Friends Character Breakfast at 'Ohana.

This would be a fun promotion for one of the Limited Time Magic weeks, well, at least I think it would be! I know I would enjoying the samples while we toured the parks.

As you know, we are always trying to find ways to bring a little Disney into our day. This week, to surprise Joey and Hayley and our neighbors' two children, Emily and I made some beignets for an after school snack. Emily loves Princess Tiana, and anytime she can take out her Princess and the Frog Cookbook and create something, she is happy!

Friday, April 12, 2013

It's time for more Tiggerific Tuesday Trivia, a blog hop hosted by My Dreams of Disney, Magical Mouse Schoolhouse, Heidi's Head and Disney Babies Blog. As we are closing in on the 15th anniversary of Disney's Animal Kingdom, I decided to go with a little trivia from this park. As always, I used the Walt Disney World Fun Facts app to randomly choose my Disney fact.

The area used for Kilimanjaro Safaris was previously a flat cow pasture. Disney brought in every hill, mountain and elevation change.

I would never have guessed this, though how can I be surprised that Disney would go to such lengths to create an authentic safari for its guests? I love Kilimanjaro Safaris! But knowing this little tidbit of trivia certainly gives me a better appreciation of Disney's attention to detail.

to see what everyone else shared and link in with your own tidbit of Disney information!

Looking to take a look back at the changes Disney's Animal Kingdom has seen over the last 15 years? Make sure you head over to DIStherapy for the 15 Days to 15 Years series, which is a countdown to the park's 15th anniversary.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

During our most recent trip to Walt Disney World, we experienced many new things, from attractions to new-to-us character dining spots to shows. Most of our new experiences came from finally having all three children tall enough to experience just about every attraction in all four theme parks, as well as gaining a love of new characters over the past year that they were not so familiar with during our previous trips. Our youngest daughter, Emily, is by far our bravest when it comes to experiencing new things; whereas Hayley is a bit more timid but is usually willing to try something new at least once, and our oldest Joey is down right scared of just about anything new.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Today I am joining in the fun of the Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop hosted by Deb at Focused on the Magic. The theme this week is the letter J and just so happens my son's name is "J"oey. So this week my hardest part of choosing photos was not choosing too many! I probably could create a complete photo book of just Joey and his Disney trips. But I digress! As I searched through my photos, I realized that how perfect for "J" to share photos of my Jedi Joey.

Joey took on Darth Vader like a pro! He will be sharing his review of the Jedi Training Academy in a future post, but I can say, this is one of his favorite things in Walt Disney World!